Allen Park — Lions coach Jim Schwartz stopped short of calling it a suspension, but mercurial receiver Titus Young was sent home Monday and he will be inactive when the Lions host Houston on Thursday.

"When you play a game like football, it's a team sport and players have obligations to the team," Schwartz said. "Titus hasn't done a good job of fulfilling those obligations this week and recently."

Schwartz said he wasn't suspending Young, "at this point," but it will be on Young to earn his way back to the starting lineup.

"How we go in the future will depend on Titus and his behavior," Schwartz said. "His behavior is going to have to change."

Young was at the center of the Lions' disjointed offensive performance Sunday against the Packers. He was thrown to six times and he caught just one pass. Since catching nine passes for 100 yards against Seattle, he has produced just seven catches for 79 yards the last three games.

But he's not being disciplined for performance issues. The last three weeks, his selfish, diva-like behavior has escalated. He has complained about his role in the offense, about not getting thrown to enough. He has openly sulked on the field and broken off routes when things haven't gone his way.

"There is no room for selfish behavior," Schwartz said. "There is no room for doing anything other than your job. When you are a player, it's your job to make the team happy, it's not the team's job to make you happy."

Young's behavior Sunday angered both receivers coach Shawn Jefferson and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to the point where they were shouting at each other on the sideline. They both wanted Young to be benched — which he was for the team's final possession.

The final straw may have been a second-and-10 play on the second to last possession. Young lined up in the wrong spot, then delayed the start of the play by motioning tight end Tony Scheffler — who was correctly lined up — to move inside. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had to correct Young's mistake and right tackle Gosder Cherilus jumped the snap.

"Titus lined up on the wrong spot and it caused a lot of confusion," Schwartz said. "Not to excuse Gosder, but he was sitting in the blocks for way too long."

Schwartz said most likely Young would be kept out of practice Tuesday and possibly the rest of this week. He said Young's status would be reviewed week to week.

"It's disappointing because this is ground we've already covered and thought we'd be past this," Schwartz said. "But we haven't been. His behavior on Sunday was unacceptable and it hurt the team, particularly on offense. It was a distraction and we are going to eliminate that distraction, particularly this week."

"Coach felt it was necessary and I support the head coach," said Stafford, who has been visibly out of sync with and frustrated by Young most of the season. "I support the players, too. I want what is best for everybody. I want us to be on the same page. If it needed to happen, then it needed to happen.

"We will move forward. We will be OK."

Said Vanden Bosch, "Honestly, I think everybody around here likes Titus as a person and everybody is trying to bring him along. It's just important for the older guys to continue to be professional and show these younger guys how to approach the job every day."

Young got into trouble during the spring when he threw a punch at teammate Louis Delmas. He was kicked out of camp for the first week of OTAs. He was also suspended during his sophomore year at Boise State.

"It was part of what he did in college, but it was early on," Schwartz said. "Our indication was he was able to have two (positive) years after that. A lot of guys have incidents when they are 18 and 19 years old away at school. You have to count on guys putting that stuff behind them and maturing.

"That hasn't always happened with Titus."

Schwartz was asked, finally, if Young was down to his final strike with the organization.

"I don't know if I would characterize it like that," he said. "But his behavior is going to have to change. It's a team sport and not an individual sport. Eventually, there is no more opportunity to get it right."

With Young out Thursday, rookie Ryan Broyles, and newly acquired Mike Thomas and Brian Robiskie will play bigger roles.

The somewhat composed non-reactionary side of me wonders, "At what point does the microscope swing around and put Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz directly in the crosshairs?"

How long will the limited progress that this team has made over the past three years overshadow the poor draft strategy and questionable character acquisitions?

Sad to see another high-round draft pick wasted on a BMW-like diva like Titus Young (don't forget the Sr.)

November 20th, 2012, 8:45 am

kdsberman

League MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3527Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

And to think I told my fiance to get a Titus Young jersey....

November 20th, 2012, 9:28 am

Blueskies

QB Coach - Brian Callahan

Joined: September 13th, 2007, 12:43 pmPosts: 3122

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

I don't want the Lions to cut him yet. But, if he ultimately is cut, what does that say about Mayhew's drafting ability? The guy who was thought to be an astute evaluator of talent is looking worse every day.

November 20th, 2012, 9:55 am

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2876

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

Blueskies wrote:

I don't want the Lions to cut him yet. But, if he ultimately is cut, what does that say about Mayhew's drafting ability? The guy who was thought to be an astute evaluator of talent is looking worse every day.

Talent's not the issue with TY though...I read Schwartz's comments about drafting him yesterday (can't find them now), and he said something to the effect of 'he had an issue early in college but then we were told he put two solid years together--we thought he was past that--guess we were wrong.'

Looking at the 2011 draft, Leshoure is turning into a solid starting RB (needs a complimentary speed back though) and Fairley is finally starting to play to expectations. He had a monster game on Sunday.

And I said something similar in another thread: come Thanksgiving, our first 3 picks from this year will have started. Reiff and Broyles in particular look like the real deal. Our sixth round pick has also started. I'm not sure what else you could want from a draft.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

November 20th, 2012, 10:13 am

kdsberman

League MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3527Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

thelomasbrowns wrote:

Blueskies wrote:

I don't want the Lions to cut him yet. But, if he ultimately is cut, what does that say about Mayhew's drafting ability? The guy who was thought to be an astute evaluator of talent is looking worse every day.

Talent's not the issue with TY though...I read Schwartz's comments about drafting him yesterday (can't find them now), and he said something to the effect of 'he had an issue early in college but then we were told he put two solid years together--we thought he was past that--guess we were wrong.'

Looking at the 2011 draft, Leshoure is turning into a solid starting RB (needs a complimentary speed back though) and Fairley is finally starting to play to expectations. He had a monster game on Sunday.

And I said something similar in another thread: come Thanksgiving, our first 3 picks from this year will have started. Reiff and Broyles in particular look like the real deal. Our sixth round pick has also started. I'm not sure what else you could want from a draft.

Agree, you cant hit on all of them. At least our higher round picks (most) are contributing for the most part.

November 20th, 2012, 11:10 am

WarEr4Christ

QB Coach - Brian Callahan

Joined: October 26th, 2005, 11:48 pmPosts: 3056Location: Elkhart, In.

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

I'm not trying to change the subject here, but draw a different picture and that is all.

It shows us the WORLD of difference between having Burleson on the roster and playing, and what happens when he's gone. Burleson is unselfish and productive, and a leader. TY is a spoiled brat who's physical skills have allowed him to skate through difficulties because of who he could be, and now is. I think a trip to the wood shed would cure this problem, well maybe not, it's a little late now.

_________________Acts 4:13, 1 Cor. 2:1-5, Rom. 12:1-2

November 20th, 2012, 12:57 pm

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2876

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

WarEr4Christ wrote:

I'm not trying to change the subject here, but draw a different picture and that is all.

It shows us the WORLD of difference between having Burleson on the roster and playing, and what happens when he's gone. Burleson is unselfish and productive, and a leader. TY is a spoiled brat who's physical skills have allowed him to skate through difficulties because of who he could be, and now is. I think a trip to the wood shed would cure this problem, well maybe not, it's a little late now.

Great, now WJB's gonna come to this thread and tell us about Tracy Porter and Michael Bush.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

November 20th, 2012, 12:58 pm

Killwill25

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: March 5th, 2009, 8:42 pmPosts: 2422Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

thelomasbrowns wrote:

WarEr4Christ wrote:

I'm not trying to change the subject here, but draw a different picture and that is all.

It shows us the WORLD of difference between having Burleson on the roster and playing, and what happens when he's gone. Burleson is unselfish and productive, and a leader. TY is a spoiled brat who's physical skills have allowed him to skate through difficulties because of who he could be, and now is. I think a trip to the wood shed would cure this problem, well maybe not, it's a little late now.

Great, now WJB's gonna come to this thread and tell us about Tracy Porter and Michael Bush.

The next step will be interesting. Will Titus be deactivated for more games, or will he have another chance to earn his way back onto the active roster this season? If they keep him deactivated in future games, I imagine they'll get him off the roster once the season is over. Presumably they'd try to get a draft pick for him but I doubt they could get much.

It would be great if this week's benching could be a learning experience but given that Young's been in this situation before (in college and with the Lions), I'm not optimistic. I'm sure it will be discussed in the draft forum, but all of the sudden WR seems like a need for 2013.

_________________Proud member of the Contract Extension for Schwartz Fan Club.

November 20th, 2012, 5:22 pm

Killwill25

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: March 5th, 2009, 8:42 pmPosts: 2422Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

WarEr4Christ wrote:

Care to fill me in? I don't get it....

wjb has an insane mancrush on michael bush & tracy porter and he brings them in every debate

_________________Just one Super Bowl win before I go!

November 20th, 2012, 5:51 pm

sweetd20

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: October 13th, 2005, 9:03 amPosts: 2490

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

What he really needs to learn besides the playbook is how to beat press coverage. When he gets jammed at the line the DBs physically and mentally take him out of the play.

November 20th, 2012, 6:15 pm

The Legend

Veteran NFL Head Coach

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 5082Location: WSU

Re: Titus Young Sent Home...

Quote:

Looking at the 2011 draft, Leshoure is turning into a solid starting RB (needs a complimentary speed back though) and Fairley is finally starting to play to expectations. He had a monster game on Sunday.

Fairley is playing very well but I dont share your opinion of Leshoure. To me he still cant make anyone miss, hesitates when he sees a cutback lane and to me isnt really a powerback when he doesnt fight for yards or try to punish a defender on the sideline. He s better than anyone else we have but I still think he is below average compared to league starters. James Starks for example last week - I dont think he s anything but he looked as good if not better than LeShoure and our line was blocking better than GBs.